Coupling for replacing drive shafts of no-draft window regulators for motor vehicles



COUPLING FOR REPLACING DRIVE .SHAFTS OF NO-DRAFT WINDOW REGULATORS FORMOTOR VEHICLES Filed March ll, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l April11,1939.@,LEVEY 1 2,154,245

2,154,245 No-DRAFT EGULAToRs FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed March ll, 1938GjLEvEY REPLACING DRIVE sHAFTs oF 2 shees-sheet 2 WINDOW R lNvr-:NTRwszave le@ ATTORNEY April 11, 1939.

COUPLING FOR Patented Apr. 11, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GustaveLcvey, New York, N.'Y.

Application March 11,

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a method and coupling for replacing driveshafts of no-draft window regulators for motor vehicles.

When the owner or operator of an automobile has lost his key or lockedthe key inside the automobile, one way to gain access to the ignitionlock was for him to pry the no-draft window open. These no-draft windowsare pivotally supported by means of trunnion elements located at the topand bottom thereof. The bottom trunnion element is connected with ahollow stem extending into a housing having worm gears which are adaptedto be rotated for opening and closing the window. These worm gearsnaturally lock together and prevent the window from easily being openedand when the window is forced the hollow stem breaks off necessitatingthe replacement of the entire gear mechanism. Also, the lower trunniontwists. When an attempt is made to twist the trunnion back to itsoriginal position it breaks off.

The coupling according to this invention, is characterized by an adaptorstem which is provided at one of its ends with a slot into which thelower trunnion element may be inserted and xedly attached thereto sothat when the adaptor stem is rotated the window will be opened orclosed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a means for xedlyattaching the adaptor stem to the hollow stem of the gear turningmechanism after the broken portion has been removed therefrom, so thatthe new adaptor stem is in aligned position with the twisted position ofthe lower trunnion.

Another object of this invention is to provide the bottom end of theadaptor with hardened teeth of a particular formation and which areadapted to grip in and engage niches thus formed on the upper end of theremaining portion of the stem for preventing the adaptor stem fromrotating upon the remaining portion of the hollow stem.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a no-draft window having a gear turningmechanism associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the gear turning 1938, Serial No.195,250

mechanism after the broken portion of the hollow stem has been removedtherefrom.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the gear turning mechanism after anadaptor stem, according to this invention has been applied thereto.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. '7.

Fig. 6 is a sectional View on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a sectional View on the line 'I-l of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the adaptor stem per se.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the lock washer per se.

Fig. 10 is a perspective View of the bolt per se.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a gear turning mechanism of a slightlydifferent formation.

Fig. 12 is an elevational View of the gear turning mechanism having anadaptor stem, according to this invention, applied thereto.

The method and coupling for replacing drive shafts of no-draft windowregulators for motor vehicles, according to this invention, is to beused in conjunction with a gear turning mechanism including a body Illwhich is mounted upon a portion of the car door II. The car door II isprovided with a no-draft windowl opening I2 and a no-draft window I3 ofconventional construction, is mounted within the window opening I2. Atits upper end the window has a trunnion element I4 which engages acomplementary opening formed in the edge of the window opening forpivotally supporting the top portion of the window. At its bottom edgethe window I3 has a bottom trunnion element I5 which extends through anopening formed in the frame of the window opening I2 and extends intothe door II. The lower end ofthe trunnion element I5 is lixedly attachedto the hollow stem I 6 of the gear turning mechanism. The hollow stem IEextends into the body lll of the gear turning mechanism and has a gear II which meshes with a complementary horizontal worm gear I8. Thehorizontal worm gear I8 has a shaft I9 which extends to the outer sideof the body I0 and which has a handle 20 supported upon its outer endwhich is adapted to be manually turned for rotating the hollow stem I6to open or close the no-draft window I3.

A clamp 2| is mounted within the body IU and extends around the hollowstem I6. A screw 22 passes' through an opening formed in one end of theclamp 2| and threadedly engages an opening formed in the body I0. Anexpansion spring 23 is coaxially mounted on the screw 22 and actsbetween the clamp 2| and the head of the screw for resiliently urgingthe clamp 2I against the hollow stem I6. This clamptogether with thegears I1 and I8 normally holds the no-draft window I3 in its closedposition to prevent it from rattling.

When the window I 3 is forced, one of two things generally happens. Thehollow stem I6 will not rotate and it is usually broken oi at the pointwhere the trunnion element I5 is connected therewith. If the hollowstern does not break but the trunnion is twisted, the window cannot besnugly closed and when an attempt is made to restore the trunnion to itsnormal position by forcing it in the other direction, the trunnion,

breaks off, and it is impossible to again connect the trunnion elementtherewith.

The adaptor stem 24 comprises a piece of tubularmaterial which is formedat one of its ends with a slot 24a into which the trunnion element i5may be engaged regardless of the condition of trunnion I5. At the otherof its ends it is formed with hardened teeth 24h. To engage this adaptorstem upon the hollow stem I6 of the gear turning mechanism, a portionIIIat of the body I0 is broken or sawed away, as shown in Fig. 1. It isthen possible to remove the jagged end of the hollow stem I6 by sawinghalf way through the stem in an even plane, and then turning the stemaround to expose the portion which has not been sawed, and then one maysaw in the remaining distance for completely removing the broken jaggedportion. The remaining portion I 6a of the hollow stem IB (see Fig. 2)is then formed with a plurality of niches 25 which are adapted tocooperate with the teeth 24h for holding the stem and the adaptor stem24 together as a rigid unit.

The adaptor stem 24 is rested on the stem I5 with the teeth 24h and theniches 25 inter-engag ing with each other. A bolt 26 is passed throughthe stem l5 and threadedly engage into the bottom end of the adaptorstem 24 for holding it in position thereon. A washer 21 is engaged uponthe screw 26 and abuts against the bottom end of the hollow stem IE forpreventing the head 2c@ of the screw 25 from passing through this hollowstem. A lock washer 28 is engaged between the head 26a and the washer 21for resiliently urging the bottom end of the adaptor stem 24 against theniches 25 for holding the teeth ZIIb in position with the niches 25. Thetrunnion element I5 is then engaged into the slot 2&2 and a screw 29 ispassed through the openings 24 formed in the end of the adaptor stem 2liand the trunnion element I5.

The teeth 24h are formed in such a manner that there are four elongatedteeth Zbb which extend radially from the center of the adaptor stem 2dwhich have diamond shaped teeth 2Q. Thus the elongated teeth 241b arealternated with the diamond shaped teeth 24". When these teeth engagethe niches 25 formed upon the end of the adaptor stem I6 they rigidlyextend into the niches for preventing the adaptor stem from ro tatingupon the end of the stem I6, since the teeth of the adaptor stem 24 arehardened and the engaged stem I6 of the turning mechanism is usuallymade of white metal which is softer than the hardened teeth of theadaptor stem 2li.

In Figs. 1l and 12 a different type of gear mechanism is shown which hasan adaptor stem 2li applied to the body Iii of the gear turningmechanism in a slightly different manner. The body ill' is formed toengage around the gears Il and I8 and is not of the box formation whichwas shown in Fig. l. It is not necessary to break away any of the bodyEG' when sawing off the broken portion of the stem Iii. Instead, thestem is sawed off by merely sawing half way through and then turning thestem through 180 to expose the unsawed portion so that this portion mayalso be sawed for removing the broken and jagged end.

The casing iii is formed at the bottom with an outwardly extending angeIB and it is necessary that two inwardly extending slits 29 be formed inthis flange Illa at either side of the open end of the stem I6 so thatthe portion I0a which is separated from the flange Il)a by the slits maybe bent downward to permit the screw 26 to be passed through the stemI5. In other respects this form of the invention is similar to theprevious form.

It is to be understood that this adaptor is to be used for either rightor left drive mechanism for no-draft windows.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modiiications coming within the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new. and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:

l. A coupling for replacing drive shafts of nodraft window regulatorsfor motor vehicles, comprising an adaptor stern for engagement coaxiallyon the hollow stem of a gear turning mechanism for no-draft windows,hardened teeth on the end of said adaptor stem engaging said hollowstem, and a bolt engaging through said hollow stem and threadedlyconnected with said adaptor stem for rigidly connecting these parts.

2. A coupling for replacing drive shafts of nodraftwindow regulators formotor vehicles, comprising an adaptor stem for engagement ccaxially onthe hollow stem of a gear turning mechanism for 11o-draft windows,hardened teeth on the end of said adaptor stem engaging said hollowstem, and a bolt engaging through said hollow stem and threadedlyconnected with said adaptor stem for rigidly connecting these parts,said adaptor stem being formed from steel or other material and having aslot extending inwards from its top `teeth comprise elongated teethextending radially therefrom and to the periphery thereof, anddiamonds-shaped teeth interposed between each of said elongated teeth insuch a manner that said elongated teeth and said diamond-shaped teethare alternated with each other.

4. A coupling for replacing drive shafts of nodraft window regulatorsfor motor vehicles, comprising an adaptor stem for engagement coaxiallyon the hollow stem of a gear turning mechanism for no-draft windows,hardened teeth on the end of said adaptor stem engaging said hollowstem, and a bolt engaging through said hollow stem and threadedlyconnected with said adaptor stem for rigidly connecting these parts,said hardened teeth comprise elongated teeth extending radiallytherefrom and to the periphery thereof, and diamond-shaped teeth arealternated with each other, a washer on said bolt engaging against thebottom end of said hollow stem, and a lock washer engaged between saidwasher and the head of said bolt for resiliently urging said hardenedteeth against complementary niches formed in the adjacent face of saidstem for preventing said adaptor stem from rotating upon the end of saidhollow stem, said hollow stem of the gear turning mechanism being madeof a relatively softer metal than the hardened teeth of the said adaptorpermitting the cutting in of the teeth into the said lower stem when thebolt is tightened.

5. A coupling for replacing drive shafts of nodraft window regulatorsfor motor vehicles, comprising an adaptor stem for engagementcoaxiallyon the hollow stem of a gear turning mechanism for no-draft windows,hardened teeth on the end of said adaptor stem engaging said hollowstem, and a bolt engaging through said hollow stem and threadedlyconnected with said adaptor stem for rigidly connecting these parts,said hollow stem having its hollow extending axially therethrough sothat said bolt may be easily passed therethrough for engaging the end ofsaid adaptor stem.

6. A coupling for replacing drive shafts of nodraft window regulatorsfor motor Vehicles, comprising an adaptor stem for engagement coaxiallyon the hollow stern of a gear turning mechanism for no-draft windows,hardened teeth on the end of said adaptor stem engaging said hollowstem, and a bolt engaging through said hollow stem and threadedlyconnected with said adaptor stem for rigidly connecting these parts,said hollow stem being mounted within a body and having a portionthereof extending from said body and upon which said adaptor stem ismounted.

GUSTAVE LEVEY.

